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s English Language Learning and Assessment (ELLA) Research Initiative has strengthened its efforts to address the needs of younger English Learners (ELs) in the United States and elsewhere. Our R&

D research agenda used to reflect ETS'

s focus on adult English-language learners in an international context, says ETS Research Director Xiaoming Xi, a co-leader of the initiative. We recognized some years ago that, for the long term, we needed to broaden our foundational research agenda to support assessments for younger, lower- proficiency learners. The additional research focus reflects ETS'

s recognition of two needs, Xi says. On the one hand, she says, the ELLA initiative aims to support ETS'

s efforts to meet an interna- tional social need seen in the growing num- ber of English learners at the KC12 level in the United States and abroad. On the other hand, it seeks to help develop and support ETS'

s social mission over the long term. In the past, ETS'

s English Language Learner assessments and related research agenda have focused on adults who need to demonstrate English proficiency for academic or job-related purposes ― those who typically take the TOEFL iBT? or TOEIC? tests. In an international context, the ELLA initiative supports ETS'

s efforts to enhance its leadership in the assessment of younger learners through new programs such as the TOEFL? Junior? tests. Proficiency for middle schoolers Designed for nonnative speakers of English, theTOEFL Junior tests measure middle school students'

proficiency in the academic and social English-language skills representative of English-medium instructional environments.The TOEFL Junior Standard test includes three sections: Listening Comprehension, Reading Comprehension, and Language Form and Meaning.The TOEFL Junior Comprehensive test, which includes reading, listening, speak- ing and writing sections, will launch in 2012. A goal of the ELLA initiative is to develop the fundamental knowledge and capabilities to design such new assessments in ways that lead to meaningful scores that allow for valid judgments about test-takers'

English skills. Starting Earlier: English Language Learning and Assessment An ETS Research Initiative Focuses on Younger Learners

3 4 In a U.S. context, ETS is not well known as a provider of English-proficiency assessments for students at the KC12 level, says ETS Research Scientist Mikyung K. Wolf, who co-leads the ELLA initiative with Xi. Developing the research foundation necessary to design such tests is another goal of the initiative. A critical first step We have a long-term research plan to develop and validate an improved KC12 English-language proficiency model, Wolf says. In 2010C11, our research focused on identifying the limitations of current assessments and on the needs for improve- ment. In the coming years, we plan to focus on using data to develop and validate a model for a new assessment. That'

s a critical first step in the process of building a high-quality assessment. Beyond the need to support English- proficiency assessments, the initiative is also supporting research on valid and fair assessment of English Learners in content areas such as mathematics and history. Although an English-proficiency assessment intentionally tests the limits of a test-taker'

s ability to understand and use English, a content-area assessment does not. When students take a math test, for example, the difficulties they encounter ought to be related mainly to their ability to solve the math problems on the test rather than their ability to understand the language used to introduce a math problem. Research meets mission It is an important validity concern to ensure that high-stakes content assessments adequately measure students'